Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
TABLE 6.2
Evidence from Single Species Studies for Upward Shifts in Elevational
Distributions Linked to Climate Change
Species and Evidence for
Range Shift
Location (Lat°)
References
Extinction of Low-Elevation Historical Populations
Euphydryas editha
.(butterly)
Western.North.America.(30-53N)
Parmesan.1996,.2005
Ochotona princeps
.(pika)
Western.USA.(38-43N)
Beever.et.al..2003
Ovis canadensis
.(sheep)
California,.USA.(33-38N)
Epps.et.al..2004
Erebia epiphron
.(butterly)
Britain.(53-56N)
Franco.et.al..2006
Upper-Elevation Expansion
Thaumetopoea pityocampa
.(moth)
Italy.(46N)
Battisti.et.al..2005,.2006
Changes to Elevational Distribution/Abundance Patterns
Salmo trutta
.(ish)
Switzerland.(47N)
Hari.et.al..2006
Chrysomela aeneicollis
.(beetle)
California,.USA.(36N)
Dahlhoff.et.al..2008
Aporia crataegi
.(butterly)
Spain.(40N)
Merrill.et.al..2008
Studies.based.on.resampled.sites.or.gradients.show.absolute.uphill.shifts.of.
62-68.m.for.temperate.lora.(Kelly.and.Goulden.2008;.Lenoir.et.al..2008),.
and.tropical.fauna.(Raxworthy.et.al..2008;.Chen.et.al..2009).over.the.past.
10-40.years..There.was.an.average.increase.in.optimum.elevation.of.119.
m.for.butterlies.in.central.Spain.over.the.same.period.of.time.(Wilson.et.
al..2005)..Estimated.uphill.range.shifts.per.decade.(Figure 6.1a).are.some-
what.less.for.studies.based.on.atlas.data.(7.7-20.m.per.decade).than.for.site.
or. gradient. studies. (17-37. m. per. decade),. because. the. average. elevations.
of. coarse-scale. grid. squares. may. underestimate. elevations. actually. occu-
pied. by. species,. particularly. in. mountainous. landscapes. (Konvicka. et. al..
2003).. Observed. range. shifts. compare. with. uphill. shifts. in. isotherms. of.
5-15.m.per.decade.for.the.twentieth.century,.or.of.approximately.30-70.m.
per.decade.since.the.1960s.from.regional.studies.
.
. Some.studies.have.also.begun.to.test.for.shifts.in.the.elevational.ranges.
of.endotherms..A.study.in.southwest.France.showed.no.signiicant.change.
in.breeding.bird.distributions.between.1973-1980.and.2000-2002.(average.
shift. =. -2.4. m. ±SE. 8.0,. n. =. 24. species;. Archaux. 2004).. However,. some.
European.birds.may.not.show.marked.elevational.shifts.in.response.to.cli-
mate. change. if. they. are. wide. ranging,. with. relatively. broad. climatic. tol-
erances..Furthermore,.changes.both.to.temperature.and.precipitation.may.
mean.that.ranges.do.not.shift.in.a.predictable.uphill.direction..In.California,.
four. elevational. transects. that. were. sampled. in. 1911-1929. and. again. in.
2003-2008.showed.strong.evidence.that.birds.were.shifting.their.ranges.to.
track. either. temperature,. precipitation,. or. both,. but. not. necessarily. uphill.
(Tingley.et.al..2009).
